The invention described herein may be made, used, and licensed by, or for, the United States Government for governmental purposes without paying me any royalty.
This invention pertains to junction or electrical outlet boxes which are used for receiving one or more power cables and connecting thereto one or more electrical devices, housed within said boxes, to provide power to one or more external electrical appliances by means of a connector, plug, jack, or like device. More particularly, this invention provides a box suitable for wiring such devices with a secure, quick connect and release capability. It is to be understood herein that proper procedures must be followed when working with electrical devices to prevent shock or harm. Namely, the connection to the power source should be open or disconnected.
An electrical outlet or junction box is provided herein for interiorly accommodating at least one electrical device and at least one cable that have been furnished to said box by a manual source. A secure, quick connect and release capability for electrically connecting said cable and said electrical device in this box is supplied by one or more terminal blocks that are mounted to at least one interior surface of said box. The blocks carry at least one receiving means and at least one releasing means along an surface. The electrical device is then energized by supplying said cable with electricity from an external power source. The box, itself, comprises a rear wall which is perimetrically bounded by an outer wall that extends outwardly from said rear wall to define an integral structure with an open front opposite of the rear wall. The box is closed by use of an apertured faceplate or cover to protect the box interior, the cable, and the electrical device from debris and moisture as well as to provide safety by limited access and fire containment. The faceplate is dimensioned and shaped to assist mounting of the electrical device within said box and to also accommodate receipt of an electrical connector from a major electrical appliance that is external to said box and not a part of this invention. This box is conveniently mounted to any structure by its placement within a suitable aperture previously formed within a wall, ceiling, or floor of the structure using conventional skills.
Previous innovations over the years for outlet boxes have provided better ways for mounting the box, retaining the electrical devices and wiring, and securing the cables. Typically, these boxes are produced from either metals or metal alloys using conventional metal working technologies. They are also made of rubbers, rubber composites, plastics, plastic composites, reinforced plastics, and combinations thereof by conventional molding processes which employ one or more operating steps.
Traditionally, these boxes are supplied to the trade in a variety of geometric sizes and shapes based upon their ultimate application. The most prevalent concerns in the art are to provide adequate volumes for housing the electrical devices and the various wiring components. I therefore anticipate that my boxes will also be made from these materials and will have similar sizes or shapes. Alternatively, a commercial box may be purchased and modified to provide the quick connect and release features of my invention.
A typical commercial box comes with at least one aperture therein that is formed in at least one wall, such as the top, rear, bottom, or side walls. This aperture may also be supplied as a preformed, weakened structure, known in the art as knock-outs, punch-outs, and the like. These openings allow ready ingress and egress to the internal volume of an outlet box by one or more, uncut, sheathed cables.
In a typical installation procedure, the cables are stripped of their sheathing to reveal three insulated, solid conductors (live, neutral, and ground). Thereafter, the conventional techniques of a tradesman are applied to strip the insulation from the conductor tip to thereby expose a solid wire. As used herein, wiring components are exemplified by the proceeding cables, conductors, and wires. It is also understood herein that wires composed of multiple strands may be used in this invention provided that they are first solidified by solder or tinning procedures to adequately perform as a solid wire during my installation process. Thereafter, the solid wire is used to connect the electrical device and box together. Any cables that exit the box do so through the same or similar apertures to make further connections within the structure being electrified.
Typical electrical devices powered by solid conductors will include receptacles, sockets, switches, and electrical fixtures. Fixture examples are phone jacks, computer jacks, cable TV terminals, local area network (LAN) jacks, or any of the combinations thereof. The opening of an outlet box is then closed by a face plate or cover that has one or more apertures therein which are dimensioned and shaped to receive and/or accommodate a powered electrical connection to an external electrical appliance by the use of simple connectors. Other functions of the faceplate are to shelter the internal contents within the box from debris and moisture, to provide safety by preventing the spread of fire from the box, and to reduce easy access to the box interior and its contents. Internal contents, as used above, refers to the wiring components, the electrical device, and the quick connect and release features of my invention supplied by terminal blocks to be further discussed below. Usually, the faceplate or cover is made of the same materials as the outlet box, and the continuation of this practice is also contemplated herein. As used herein, electrical connectors contemplate prongs, plugs, jacks, and like connectors that have been previously used to energize major appliances.
These boxes may also be used as junction boxes to join electrical cables together to improve reliability, as compared to having just one cable, to supply electricity throughout an entire structure. Dependent upon the particular service need, the electrical outlet or junction boxes herein can also be joined together, in gangs or clusters, consisting of side by side, back to back, and bottom to top arrangements.
A particular problem with today""s prior art is that elongated stripped-conductor tips are routinely joined by twisting, and thereafter forcing the resulting rigid mass into a suitable coupling device, such as a wire nut. For good electrical conductivity, it is essential that the tradesman apply sufficient force to the wire nut and twisted conductors to make a satisfactory connection. This is frequently a time consuming and difficult task to perform since the conductors and attendant wires are rigid and difficult to permanently twist together by either mechanical or manual methods. It is therefore no surprise that the principal costs of wiring new or remodeled structures are for the skilled labor of either an electrician or a tradesman.
Present day electrical systems of industrial sites; homes; businesses; and water, ground, or air transports, are composed of a plurality of wiring connections that are made in the above manner. The space within the outlet box becomes unusually confined after crowding therein the wire nuts, stiff conductors, electrical devices, and the like. This problem has led to the modern development of boxes with deeper or adjustable walls to form larger volumes.
From time to time, it is necessary for someone to inspect and/or trouble-shoot an electrical system. It is often difficult for an inspector to dress or trace the numerous cables, conductors, and wires of a standard outlet box from their origin to end. This task is rendered all the more complex due to the confined space of the outlet box. As more stress is applied to the electrical connections to complete said inspection, the possibility of electrical shorts or loss of conductivity is all the more probable because of the potential disengagement of a wire nut or separation of an electrical connection.
This undesirable situation is further exacerbated when the affected electrical system is a crucial part of a much larger, integrated-system, such as a military installation; a weapons system or combat transport; a public safety facility, like a prison, police station, or fire hall; and/or a health care facility with life-support equipment located therein. Because such facilities have unique power requirements, it is unlikely that considerable time will be available to find a quick solution for an electrical problem using today""s procedures and equipment as above described. As an immediate consequence, severe injury or death may be a possible outcome of any delay in a troubleshooting process.
The prior art does not disclose the many advantages and benefits of my invention; nor do they teach or suggest my inventive approach or elements. My invention will conceptually terminate the use within the art of wire nuts and like connectors, will eliminate the tedious task of twisting wires, will reduce time for connection or disconnection of wires, and will allow the ready tracing or dressing of wires in quick order.
It is therefore an object of the claimed invention to provide a secure, quick, and easy connect or disconnect means for connecting one or more conductors electrically within a junction or outlet box. The adoption of this invention will also allow for the quick and easy verification of the origination and departure of a conductor at an electrical junction or outlet box by minimal effort.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts upon a full reading of this specification and the appended claims which explain and define the aspects and principals of this invention.